Business skills every entrepreneur should develop this year (2)

January 15, 2013 by Okechukwu Nnodim

To succeed as an entrepreneur, it’s important to have the useful skills required for your chosen venture. In this concluding series, Okechukwu Nnodim writes on additional business skills worth developing in 2013

There is no doubt that every business requires a specific skill set and related domain knowledge. However, there are certain skills which every entrepreneur, no matter what business he is involved in, should have in order to stay afloat in his chosen field of endeavour. According to business analysts, successful entrepreneurs world-over are usually characterised by their ability to deliver on projects assigned to them. This is as a result of relevant skills which they possess, which always make them stand out in business. Experts say business skills are not rocket science and if you’ve got the willingness, you can easily develop them and carry on your business in a better manner. In our first article on this subject, some of the skills discussed include problem solving skills, adequate confidence, ability to meet customers’ needs, arithmetic skills, networking and public speaking skills. Below are additional skills which every entrepreneur should develop in 2013 if he must remain competitive in his sector, according to experts:

Decision-making

As an entrepreneur, you should be able to come up with tenable decisions. Your sense of judgement must be smart. Though it is wise to seek the inputs of workers by allowing room for consensus, experts say, entrepreneurs must understand that their decisions will largely influence the growth of their ventures. According to them, consensus building is an art, and it’s not the answer for every type of decision. Knowing when to make decisions independently and when to involve others is important. It’s equally important to realise when a decision must be made and when to wait a few days or weeks. So, as an entrepreneur, look for ways to improve on your ability to make shrewd decisions that will impact your business positively.

Time/self management

Your ability to manage your time wisely will enable you run your venture with ease. Of course, there will be challenging moments, but adequate time management will give you an edge in your chosen field. In self-management, experts say you should know yourself. Know how to manage yourself. Be confident and comfortable identifying when you’re stressed or struggling. Recognise what energises you. And what drains your energy. The more entrepreneurs understand about themselves, the better they will manage their own behaviours. You can also take time out to relax. Adopt a work hard/play hard attitude. Be the best business person you can be. Then find the time and the activity to keep you grounded.

Writing skills

Some entrepreneurs may see this point as being odd, but the fact is that you should know grammar basics. More importantly, refine your writing style. Try different approaches of explaining your logic. Practice composing succinct thoughts. Also, communicate like a professional. It’s not only about talking to the other person or to your client. It’s about every form of communication, be it on phone, through email, through a letter or any other way of sending your thoughts across. Effective communication is one of the must have entrepreneurial skills and if you think you aren’t very good at this, prepare to learn how to communicate in the most effective manner, convince others and get more business. It is therefore important to develop your writing and communication skills.

Be dynamic

The business environment is always changing and this requires some form of dynamism from you as an entrepreneur. Experts say you can develop a strategy and start working towards your goal. Since the world is changing everyday, you might soon realise that the strategy isn’t working. In this case, you should immediately adapt to the changes and adopt new methods of working while keeping your vision intact. Also, mix your passion with planning. If you aren’t passionate enough, chances of your succeeding in your business are slim. But if you get carried away by passion, that’s equally harmful for your work. Hence the idea is to mix passion and enthusiasm with planning and execution. Experts note that entrepreneurs, who fail to apply wisdom in an ever changing business environment, may end up running their business aground.

Aggressiveness

A good entrepreneur must be smart. Dullness is not a characteristic of an astute entrepreneur. Being smart requires some form of aggressiveness and being aggressive doesn’t mean you are always pumped up and blindly grab every opportunity that comes in your way. It means you are ready to take risks, sometimes calculated and sometimes out of your gut-feeling. It means you aren’t satisfied with an achievement and are hungry for more. It means you are always available for your work. And yes, it also means you are ready to make sacrifices when required. These are features which astute and aggressive entrepreneurs possess.

Resilience

This is another skill that needs to be improved upon in 2013. Without a doubt, persistence is a must-have trait for anyone who hopes to make it big in his business. Persistence isn’t using the same tactics over and over. That’s just annoying. Persistence is having the same goal over and over. Your ability to persevere in business is vital. Resilience is one crucial characteristic of a good businessman. Also, always look for ways to do things differently. Experts say that’s what winners do. Apply new techniques and tricks to an already existing business model instead of trying to search for that new idea. You’ll save time. Really, the learning never stops when you are an entrepreneur. And you should never let it stop either. No matter how big your business grows, you should keep learning everyday and apply new techniques to make your business better. You must never be complacent in business. No business, absolutely no business can be considered fool-proof. One mistake and the empire could crumble. Complacency is usually the first step towards this destruction. So better not be complacent. By improving on these skills and the ones earlier discussed in our first article on this subject, you will be able to impact positively on the growth of your venture, experts say.

We talk of enterpreneur as if it will happen miraclously. a graduate who manage to sponsor his education, feed himself over that period of tlme with no help from any where. Now he is back on the street striving to put food in his belly and as well feed his parent , now tell me how you want him to put to act the skills he aquired over the year and as well care for himself and his family, who is going finance his dream.

http://izicodeforex.com ISRAEL CHIMA

Please, do have a rethink, In fact, your points are the more reason you need to figure out what works and work on them

You went to school not just to gain employed rather to develop your seventh sense which will help you triumph over any situation and condition